MPs listening to State Minister of European and Euro-Atlantic Integration

Davit Bakradze, State Minister of European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, is visiting the Parliament of Georgia.

The State Minister is presenting the Action Plan of 2016 for the implementation of the Association Agreement and the Association Agenda.

"This is a document on which our office had worked for 6 months. The document is mainly distinguished from the last year's document by its quality, high standard. We sent appropriate action and guideline principles to all ministries and developed the Action Plan of 2016 according to those principles, which includes the results and indicators. This will allow us to mathematically calculate the performance indicators for the next year.

We had support from the European Union in this process; European experts' assistance was very important", - he said.

Georgia’s integration with the EU is not just a core foreign policy priority but has become a part of our national identity - Foreign Minister

Georgian Foreign Minister Mikheil Janelidze received representatives of the diplomatic corps accredited in Georgia.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the meeting was attended by the Deputy Foreign Ministers and the heads of various departments. Mikheil Janelidze acquainted the diplomats with the objectives of the Georgian Foreign Ministry and the priorities of Georgia’s foreign policy. He spoke about the importance of Georgia’s integration with the European Union, which “is not just a core foreign policy priority of Georgia but has become a part of our national identity, because of the sense of belonging to the European system of values. Besides, the Georgian people believe that secure, stable and democratic development of the country can be assured only within the European and Trans-Atlantic area” - Mikheil Janelidze said.

Special attention was paid to the restoration of Georgia’s territorial integrity, as the main challenge facing the Georgian Government, and in this context, the importance of Georgia’s constructive participation in the Geneva International Discussions. The Georgian Foreign Minister also spoke about the need of confidence-building and engagement of the international community in the process of reconciliation with Abkhazians and Ossetians.

Mikheil Janelidze highlighted the successes achieved in the course of 2015, including the Association Agreement signed with the EU, including DCFTA, the European Commission’s positive assessment of the Visa Liberalization Action Plan of Georgia in its final progress report, the NATO-Georgia Joint Training and Evaluation Centre, which a significant step forward.

Mikheil Janelidze identified economic diplomacy as one of the top priorities of the Georgian Foreign Ministry. He emphasized that Georgia has the potential of being turned into a hub linking Europe with the growing East Asian markets. In this context the Minister spoke about the importance of the revitalization of the historic "Silk Road. The Silk Road Forum held in Tbilisi in 2015 served this very goal. The Forum will contribute to deepening the cooperation of the Silk Road countries in the fields of transport, communication, infrastructure, trade, energy and industry.

On the final note, Mikheil Janelidze thanked the representatives of the diplomatic corps for their activities in Georgia, adding that diplomats play an important role in terms of fulfilling the priority goals on Georgia’s agenda, including by promoting democratic reforms and European and Euro-Atlantic integration. Mikheil Janelidze congratulated the participants of the meeting on the New Year and hosted a reception in their honour.

EU Suspended Talks on Russia Pact

European Union leaders have agreed to suspend talks on a new partnership agreement with Moscow until Russian troops have withdrawn from Georgia.
EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and French President Nicolas Sarkozy confirmed the decision at the end of an emergency summit in Brussels.
They also condemned Russia's move to recognize the independence of Georgia's regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

Pope Expresses Hope that Effort of European Union Would Be Verified and Peace Would Rain in Georgia

Pope Benedict XVI has expressed hope that an effort of the European Union would be verified and peace would rain in Georgia. The Pope declared about that at his summer residence on August 17.
Expressing his "concern" over the situation in Georgia, which Benedict said he was following very carefully, the head of the Roman Catholic Church appealed to the "generosity" of the international community to help "refugees, especially women and children."
The Pope called for the "immediate opening" of humanitarian corridors between Georgia and the Moscow-backed separatist South Ossetia region to aid victims of the conflict.
"I would like the immediate opening of humanitarian corridors between South Ossetia and the rest of Georgia so that the dead can receive a dignified burial, the wounded can get access to care and those who want to rejoin their dear ones, can do so," he said during the Angelus blessing.